Improvement in folding seats



UNITED FFIE.

JOHN M. PERKINS, OF RAGINE, VISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING SEATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,736, dated February 25, 1879; application filed June 17, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. PERKINS, of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain Improvements in Folding Seats, of which the following is a specification My invention relates to folding seats; and consists in sustaining the seat by means of irons engaging in the side frame and held in place by a transverse bar; in making said irons of a J form, and with certain other pe culiarities; and in arranging the bar by which the irons are held to serve as a brace or support for the back of the seat.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a portion of a desk or chair frame with my improvements applied, the frame being partly broken away to show the parts more clearly; Fig. 2, a vertical section through the back and seat, the latter being elevated, showing the manner in which it is prevented from coming in contact with the back; and Fig. 3, a perspective view of one of the irons detached.

In constructing my improved device, I provide irons A, of the form represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and secure the same to the frame of the desk, settee, or chair by means of lugs a, extending from the face of the irons into the frame, together with one or more screws, if desired, and a brace or bar, 1), ex tending between the irons, which effectually prevents the lugs to from being withdrawn from the frame.

In practice, one screw is ordinarily used in each iron; but it may be omitted, lugs a and brace I) being sufficient to retain them firmly in place. In case the screws are omitted, the bar may be seated in the middle of the irons instead of in the upper end. Upon the outer upwardly turned ends of the irons A are formed round lugs 0, extending outward into the side pieces, d, of the seat-frame, and serving as pivots, upon which the seat swings or turns. The side bars, 67, of the seatframe eX- tend back in rear of the lugs or pivots c, and bear, when the seat is lowered, against the under face of ears 6, formed upon the irons A, limiting the downward movement of the seat, and forming, together with the pivots c, a firm support therefor.

In order that the seat shall not strike against the back of the settee or chair, or the front of the desk to which it is applied, the rear cross piece, f, of the seat-frame is made to bear against the rear face of the forward arm of the irons A, as shown in Fig. 2, the irons being of such curvature that they shall arrest the motion of the seat just as the latter comes almost in contact with the back.

For the purpose of enabling the irons and the bar or brace b to be readily inserted or removed, in order to take the chair or other article to pieces, the socket g of one of the irons A is left open on its upper side, thereby permitting one end of the bar or brace to be in serted in the closed socket, and the opposite end to be pressed down into the open socket. By simply raising the end out of the open socket the bar or brace may be removed, and after taking out the screws the irons A may be taken out. The bar or brace b, lying close against the rear face of the seat'back, forms a support therefor, which is especially desirable where thin light material, such as alternate layers of veneer, are used to form the back.

If preferred, holes may be formed through the irons A, instead of the lugs or pivots c, and a rod or bolts passed through them and the frame to form the pivots.

\Vhere long settees are to be constructed, one or more additional irons A may be placed at points between the ends of the seat.

I am aware that seat-sustainin g arms have been pivoted to metal plates on the seat, and the parts so arranged that the rear edge of the seat came in contact with the arms to limit the mot-ion of the former, and hence I make no broad claim thereto; but I am not aware that any one has hitherto employed arms which could be applied directly to the seat and at the same time serve as stops.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a desk-frame and rigid seat-supporting arms seated in opposite sides of the frame, a transverse bar bearing at its ends against the arms, and holding the same to their places, substantially as shown.

2. In combination with the standards B and seat d, the hookshaped arms A, provided with studs seated in the standards, and the 5. In combination with the seat having the transverse bar I), applied as shown. rear cross-bar, f, the supporting-arms arranged 8. In combination with back and the seatto engage directly with the inside of the seat, sustaining arms, the bar I), applied as shown, and adapted to form stops for the barf, so as so as to serve the double purpose of supportto limit the upward movement of the seat.

ing the back and holding the arms in place. JOHN M. PERKINS.

4. The hook-shaped arms A, cast in one Witnesses:

piece with the outside pivot c and outside studs HENRY T. FULLER,

a, and adapted to receive a cross-bar Z). J. M. EDGAR. 

